


brave the fall

by quags1re



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, F/M, Family Fluff, Gen, M/M, OT4 childhood friends, Pre-Timeskip, Team as Family, everybody loves byleth and he has literally no idea, pre-release, ships aren't too important or evident yet, the blue lions raise a baby wyvern together!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-05-19 00:58:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19346308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quags1re/pseuds/quags1re
Summary: Out on an expedition with the Blue Lions House, Byleth finds a wyvern egg.(or, the blue lions and byleth raise a wyvern together)





	1. spread your wings

**Author's Note:**

> IM SO SORRY IF YOURE HERE AND YOURE LIKE WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOUR OTHER FICS IM SORRY THEYRE COMING TRUST ME
> 
> okay this idea was born in a fe server where i had the help of some lovely people helping me out. thank you so so much for your support.

Byleth wasn't good with children.

Not only had he spent his entire life as mercenary on the road, but he spent that life with his father and his battalion, which were all his father's age, a good twenty years or so older than him.

Most of his interactions with children was just seeing one or two playing in the streets of villages or towns. Or perhaps, the children of the innkeepers that would bring him dinner. 

So no, Byleth didn't know anything about children. 

_But these aren't children,_ his father had insisted. _They're only at most five years younger than you! And besides, you need to meet more people! Spread your wings! You can't hang around old men and women like me your entire life, kiddo!_

Well, that was the plan until he was offered a job at the Officer's Academy, which his father had all but forced him into.

As Byleth heads out on a scouting mission with the group of children he'd taken under his wing, he regrets his entire life leading up to this moment.

Byleth believes that in his heart of hearts, deep in his soul, that joining the Academy as a professor was honestly an action made in a relapse of thought. A brief moment of insanity.

"Hey cutie," Sylvain called out to a passersby pegasus rider, who was clearly just minding her own business, gliding around near their troupe. "You've just swooped down into my heart! Wanna grab a bite later?"

He was sort of horrified when he heard the girl giggle at his pick-up line.

Byleth sighed quietly, glad when one of Sylvain's childhood friends, Ingrid, yanked him by the ear. "Stop it," she scolded, over the bubbly laughter of Annette. "Teach will get mad."

Clearly, Byleth was already mad for even being here. He had first picked the Blue Lions to lead because Dimitri seemed like a bright, responsible young man. That is, until he'd seen the interactions between him and his childhood friends, Felix, Sylvain, and Ingrid, who seemed all responsible at first glance but were still teenagers, and therefore, terrible enablers.

He had once, in abstract horror, seen Felix do a backflip off of Sylvain's horse after being dared to do it by Dimitri. Byleth wanted to resign.

Despite the Blue Lions' rambunctious attitude, it wasn't the kids' fault Byleth didn't speak to them all that often, however. Byleth wasn't good with people, let alone children, and favored the company of animals above most and traveling songs on long journeys.

His father said that he'd got his anti-social, animal loving personality from his mother. Byleth wasn't too sure, however, seeing that he'd never met her.

Honestly, his students weren't bad at all. However, half of a year of teaching could not make up for twenty years of near-isolation from the general population of Fódlan.

Byleth was genuinely surprised when his students and colleagues seemed to like him, if not tolerate him. He was invited to sit with them at the mess hall and asked for advice on their personal problems. He was flattered, yes, but Byleth was very inexperienced with anything dealing with emotions.

"Teacher," Dimitri called out, his voice silencing the rest of them. "We're nearing the keep. What are your orders?"

"Be on your guard," Byleth replied, voice soft. Dedue took a step closer to Dimitri. "And do not panic."

This morning Byleth had been tasked with checking on an abandoned keep north of the Academy, because there had been rumors of a feral wyvern keeping merchants and commoners at bay, making large groups unable to pass by the roads anywhere near the keep. He understood that he was probably the best option to go and slay it, because he was arguably one of the most experienced people at the Academy, and he's definitely encountered many a wyvern before.

When Byleth told his class that they had a day off, he was surprised when they had followed him without a thought, and more privately, relieved. He's defeated wyverns single-handedly before, but they had been difficult battles.

The keep was a crumbling, gray fixture that looked more like piles of rock and rubble than a building. Evidence of previous battles, broken shields and giant dips in the ground made Byleth clench a fist around his sword in preparation. But what made him draw his sword was the massive black wyvern perched at the top of the keep, wings fluttering in agitation.

"Oh no," Annette squeaked, from where she was hiding behind Mercedes. "We have to fight that?"

Byleth wondered if he really should have brought the kids along. Experience was important, though. 

The wyvern spotted them, their beady violet eyes visible from a mile away, and let out a piercing screech into the sky, before taking off into the skies and heading their direction.

To their credit, the students hardly flinched. Byleth narrowed his eyes at the wyvern approaching them on huge black wings. "Ashe, Annette, Mercedes, to the back! Ashe, use your silver bow if possible! Girls, anything wind elemental will work best! Everyone else with me!"

"YES!" The students yelled, readying their weapons, heading forward.

"Scatter!" Byleth cried, as the wyvern descended on their group. The students scattered far from the beast, but Byleth ducks into a roll and slashes quickly in an upward motion with his sword on the wyvern's wing, making the wyvern roar even louder and preventing him from taking flight. For some reason, Byleth thinks he hears someone whistle. In retaliation, the wyvern tries to stomp on him, making Byleth roll again instinctively and skid his knees on the hard dirt.

"Teacher! Are you alright?!" Called Ingrid, who had taken to the skies on her pegasus. Working fast, she had threw a couple of spears down onto the angry creature, who tried to sprew fire at her. 

"I'm fine!" Byleth called back, not looking up at her. The students were learning fast, and hitting faster. Before they had encountered it, Byleth had advised them to not waste anytime in killing it, because the wyvern could potentially let out a deafening screech that could call other wyverns over, which would not bode well for any of them.

It went surprisingly well, and faster than it would have had Byleth been alone. With a few final arrows from Ashe, who was supporting from the back, and a decisive blow to the head from Felix, the wyvern let out a final, weak call before slumping to the ground.

Without the screeching of the wyvern, everyone's heavy breathing was obvious and extremely audible. "Did we do it?" Mercedes asked, sounding incredulous, and all of them turned to Byleth.

Byleth blinked, confused, before realizing they were waiting on his verdict. "Oh, yes," he admitted, and then added, "good job, everyone."

The students, although weary from battle, let out a large cheer, and start high fiving and hugging each other, relieved that the battle is over.

Byleth watches this for a few moments before heading off to the keep's direction, not wanting to interrupt. He makes it a few steps before he's stopped in his tracks by a voice.

"Where are you going?" Felix demanded, of all people. The students paused in their mini celebration to focus on their teacher again.

"That's right," added Ashe, who had just squirmed out of a rough pat on the back from Dedue. "Shouldn't we be heading back?"

Byleth shook his head and then realized that the students probably wanted a better explanation than a shake of his head. "There might be more dangerous creatures in the keep. I will go and look."

"You're not seriously thinking of going alone, are you?" Sylvain asks, looking perplexed. "You gotta tell us these things, teach. Of course we're coming with you!"

As if on cue, the students fall into step with him. Byleth sighs, ignoring how light he feels now. If they wanted to come they could come.

.

If the exterior of the keep didn't give away that the structural integrity of the building left something to be desired, the inside definitely did. Stairs were half crumbled and broken ornate furniture strewn across the floors added to the overall shabby state of the keep. A few holes that posed as window, simply gaps where no stone lay, let in only the tiniest smidgen of light. 

Dimitri tried to walk past him through the wooden doors but Byleth puts a steady hand on his chest, pushing him gently behind him. "Stay behind me," he chides. "We don't know what's in here yet."

Felix looks as if he wants to take a step forward with him but a narrow-eyed look from Byleth stops him.

Byleth has no idea how a prince and a large group of nobles can be so gung-ho and uncaring about their own safety.

"Don't come in," Byleth says sternly, then draws his blade, taking slow steps into the room. "Don't make a single sound."

Obediently, Annette clasps a hand over her mouth, and both Ingrid and Felix clasp a hand over Sylvain's mouth. Byleth nods at them.

"Be careful," Dimitri whispers, ignoring what Byleth had just said. Byleth almost sighs before thinking against it, and creeps further into the room.

He's learned from years of experience, thieves, and looters that no matter how broken and decaying an area may look, there will still likely be some sort of traps or surprises in store.

At the far end of the wall, there's a broken fireplace that's nearly almost crumbled in on itself, perfect for small things to hide in. Byleth, only halfway across the room, picks up a chunk of broken stone and tosses it at the other wall to see if anything moves at the sound. Nothing moves. 

Still high on alert, Byleth takes longer strides to the fireplace, his instincts insisting that there's something there. When he reaches it, Byleth picks up a long, slender piece of wood to move the stones that cover part of its opening. 

He can't stop his gasp.

"Teacher," Ashe says, barely a whisper. Byleth wonders if these kids know how to listen. "What's wrong?"

Byleth doesn't reply. 

He's too amazed by the sight of a large, dark, perfectly smooth wyvern egg sitting in a makeshift nest in the middle of the fireplace. 

"Teacher," Mercedes murnurs, voice insistent. "Teacher, what did you find?"

Byleth crouches to lift it neatly from the floor, amazed at how heavy it is. He turns towards the students, who look almost panicked now, a large wyvern egg cradled in his arms. 

"A wyvern egg," Ingrid breathes. "Incredible."

.

"I'm keeping it," Byleth announced to the staff, holding the dark egg up for everyone to see.

"What is it?" Manuela asked, leaning forward in her chair. 

"A wyvern," Byleth said, "from the one the students and I recently defeated."

"No." Replied the entire staff room.

Byleth frowned. "I've already made my decision. Don't we keep wyverns here already?"

"Well-bred wyverns that were raised in captivity," Shamir retorted. "You don't even know what kind of dragon it is."

"Wyvern," Byleth corrected. "Dragon eggs have more ridges and are larger in size. This one's darker, too, so more likely to be a wyvern. Besides, we saw that the only creature in the area was a wyvern, and no other creature would dare engage with a feral, angry wyvern, whether it is a dragon or not."

The entire staff room gawked at him.

"I think this is the most you've ever spoken to us," Catherine laughed. "Why not? You seem more well-versed in creatures compared to humans."

The entire staff room blinked in surprise when Byleth seemed to glow with happiness. "I promise to take good care of it," Byleth swore, holding the egg to his chest.

Privately, the rest of the staff found themselves thinking Byleth looked more his age, and kind of... cute?

.

The Blue Lions were all absolutely terrible at whispering.

It's been a week since the wyvern battle, and Byleth has taken to bringing the egg everywhere with him, including to class. He's even sacrificed a bit of cloth for his egg to place on his desk so it wouldn't roll all over the place. The students, though also against the idea of keeping the egg, were somewhat placated when they saw how serious Byleth was about keeping it.

He feels as if his students have the odd impression that he's a soft little fairy weak to creatures of all sizes.

Byleth had turned around to draw map diagrams on the board of varying terrain when the whispers started. 

"I think teacher smiles at that egg more than at us," Annette whispered, likely to Mercedes. 

A creak of a chair. "Not just that," Sylvain whispered, volume clearly not at all quiet. "He likes that egg more than us. He cleans it with a cloth and hugs it to his chest."

"Maybe he even brings it into the baths," Ashe adds softly.

"Teacher smiles?" Ingrid added, voice incredulous. "I think we'd all die on the spot if that happened."

"He looks as if he'd have a nice smile," whispered one voice, unrecognizable due to the low volume. Tiny little giggles filled the room.

Byleth whirls around and sees the students frantically try and scoot their chairs back into their proper places. "If you're going to spend time gossiping, why don't you spend that time actually paying attention to the board?"

The Blue Lions, looking thoroughly chided, look down at their papers. Byleth almost feels bad, then remembers that they were gossiping about him. Class continues on like normal.

"You'll be quizzed on your strategy next week," Byleth announces, when the bells chime for lunch. "Dedue, Mercedes, you're both on border control today. Class dismissed." Some students get out of their seats, but still linger at their tables. Byleth thinks nothing of it, and decides to focus his attention on the egg, which seems slightly swollen. And maybe it was just his imagination, but it seemed like it would rattle every so often. Perhaps it was close to hatching.

Annette raises her hand, still in her seat. Byleth pauses in his thoughts. "Yes, Annette? If you want to go on patrol with Mercedes we have to rewrite the entire schedule again."

"No, not that!" Annette exclaims, looking cheery. "Have you thought of a name for the wyvern yet?"

Byleth hums in response. "No, actually. Thank you for reminding me. Any ideas for a name?"

Dedue raises his hand. "Lily."

"No, no no no," Sylvain says, needing to contribute. "How about Sylvain the Second?"

"I like Lily," Mercedes adds, as if Sylvain hadn't even spoken.

Felix frowns a little before giving his own opinion. "Excalibur," he says, voice gruff. The Blue Lions are not at all surprised at the name selection.

"Something regal, perhaps..." Dimitri says, almost to himself. "I like the name Perseus."

"Cheesecake," Ingrid adds, looking as if she was completely serious. "Cookie. Pumpkin."

Byleth hums to himself. "I think I will just call the wyvern 'Baby.'"

The students stare at him. "No," Mercedes replies. "No, I don't think that'll work."

If Byleth feels a little disheartened at the reaction, it doesn't show on his face. "...Fine. How about..."

For a moment Byleth thinks about naming the wyvern Bylese but wonders if his students will find that weird. "...Tabbris." Byleth decides, the name appearing in his mind as if from thin air. "Maybe Tabbi or Tabs for short."

"Not a bad name, teacher!" Annette decides, looking peppy. "Tabbris is such a cute name!"

"I like it," Ashe adds. "It is quite cute."

Byleth picks up the egg and studies it. _Tabbris. Your name will be Tabbris._ He looks back at the class. "Any objections?" Byleth asks, peering out at the students, who are shaking their heads. 

"Much better than Sylvain the Second," Felix scoffs, Sylvain's protesting ' _hey!_ ' going unheard.

_You'll still be my baby, though, Tabbris._

.

The next morning Byleth wakes up with a black baby wyvern on his chest, gnawing at his shirt with sharp fangs and looking up at him with wide purple eyes. The bed is covered in remnants of the baby's egg shell destruction.

 _Maybe this was a mistake,_ Byleth admits, the ear-piercing screech the wyvern lets out bursting his ear drums and making every single one of his students burst into his room, weapons at the ready.

"Teacher! Are you hurt?!"

_A big mistake._


	2. taking flight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DON'T @ ME FOR THIS BYLETH HAS TO BE BUFF. BUFF AS FUCK.

"I don't believe I have ever given any of you permission to burst into my rooms like this," Byleth chided softly, with all the grace and dignity of someone still in their floaty white nightgown. To their credit, all of his students look ashamed, and they too were all in their sleep wear. They made a comical sight, Sylvain struggling to stand straight while leaning on his spear for support and Felix, who had accidentally brandished his sheath instead of his blade.

 

Byleth watched his students trail their gazes across his fluttering, frilly collar, and cleared his throat, narrowing his gaze. They all hurriedly looked elsewhere.

 

Sothis, who was always fluttering somewhere nearby, chuckled. "Be nicer to them," she admonished, voice too shrill to listen to in the morning, "They were worried about you."

 

Byleth looks out the window to gaze at the tower clock, and squints his eyes. "...It's four in the morning," he said, feeling sleepier when he said this fact aloud. "We'll deal with this at a later time. Go back to your rooms, everyone."

 

"But, teacher," Annette insisted. She was the only one out of all of them who did not look tired. She gestured wildly at the wyvern, who had tired itself out from all the screeching and had laid across his lap. 

 

To be honest, Byleth was surprised more people hadn't woken up by the commotion his students apparently insisted on causing.

 

"I literally do not possess the brain capacity to care about this right now," Byleth insisted. Picking up the wyvern- _Tabbris_ \- with one hand, he slid himself back under the covers. "Later," Byleth promised. "Please shut the door on your way out."

 

The students hesitated for a brief moment, before exhaustion caught up with them as well and left, obediently closing the door behind them.

 

Tabbris made a little peep when tucked closer to Byleth's chest and he valiantly attempted not to coo aloud. Sothis sometimes hovered, after all.

 

"A dragon, huh?" Sothis said, conversationally. "Fitting."

 

"A wyvern," Byleth corrected, but she waved his statement away.

 

"Same thing," she continued. "They're all descendants of dragons. It's normal that your fates have crossed."

 

Byleth still did not have enough brain power to process her statement, so he decided on falling asleep instead.

 

.

 

Byleth had always preferred the company of animals to humans. He could talk, sing and hum to them without fear of being judged, and they never spoke, which made for pleasant company. He also enjoyed petting them, for many of these creatures were soft to the touch and made endearing noises when they were pet in certain spots.

 

He had easily familiarized himself with every little creature he came across, playing with the stray dogs, catching fish for the cats, snoozing with the bunnies, and feeding seed and other small foods to the birds. He had also tried to make himself look favorable in the eyes of the horses, pegasi, and wyverns that his father's garrison brought into battle, bringing apples for the former two and fresh kill for the latter.

 

His father had noticed this behavior and called him _Princess_ Byleth at times, to the point where his entire battalion had taken to calling him that. Byleth truly had no idea what princesses had to do with him wanting to befriend animals, but it wasn't as if he was insulted by the nickname, so he never attempted to stop them. In fact, he had become so used to the name that whenever the word was uttered, his head would shoot up immediately. His father always laughed and laughed about it.

 

Byleth, who was now awake at a suitable time on a Saturday and fully dressed in his usual casual black clothes, stared down at the wyvern with arms folded across his chest. Tabbris had taken to his lap, and refused to leave it.

 

To be honest, Byleth was fine with wyverns, but whenever any of his father's soldiers had acquired a new one it was a fully grown wyvern that was already tamed.

 

So Byleth had no idea how to raise a baby wyvern.

 

He knew that in a few short weeks to come, Tabbris would rapidly grow to a size a child could ride on, and that Tabbris was a girl because her horns were longer than the stubby knobs of the smaller male wyverns. He knew that wyverns were actually omnivores, as compared to their carnivorous dragon cousins, and he knew that Tabbris was surprisingly docile for a baby wyvern. He's heard stories about baby wyverns from hell from the breeders they'd buy from, about how one had broken one guy's arm, took another guy's teeth out, and so on and so forth.

 

"Scree?" Tabbris crooned, tilting her head to the side. She gently scratched at his pant leg, looking up at him with wide, amethyst colored eyes.

 

"You are cute," Byleth stated simply, scratching a spot underneath her chin that he knew all wyverns seemed to enjoy. She let out a long, high-pitched trill. Tabbris really was a cute wyvern. Her eyes took up most of her face, like an owl, and her sleek, black body was so dark it seemed to absorb all light. Her tiny wings fluttered when she was given any attention.

 

Tabbris' stomach growled, so Byleth stood and decided to head for breakfast. He scooped Tabbris up, who squirmed in protest, and only when he placed her around his neck did she calm down.

 

When he walked into the mess hall, most of the Blue Lions were already sitting there, looking worried. Ashe spotted him, blinked, and then waved rapidly. 

 

"Over here, teach!" He said, catching the attention of everyone. Byleth felt the weight of everyone's stares and tried not to flinch. He _hated_ attention.

 

Everyone but Sylvain and Felix were at the table. "Where are they?" Byleth asked, and Dimitri smiled, not even needing to ask who _they_ were. 

 

"Felix is on Sylvain catching duty today," Dimitri replied, spreading butter onto his toast. "Felix wanted to challenge him again."

 

"Ah," Byleth replied, not surprised.

 

He sat down, nodding at Dedue, who pushed a tray of breakfast at him, fruits, toast, and two poached eggs. "Thank you," he said softly. He urged Tabbris off his shoulders with a gentle push and she squealed in protest, only sated when Byleth picked up one of the eggs with a fork and fed it to her. 

 

Tabbris made a little keen of thanks and nibbled on the poached egg, which was half her size. Mercedes cooed at the sight.

 

When Tabbris finished the first egg, she looked up at Byleth with wide eyes, and Byleth pushed the second egg to her. Tabbris made a high pitched keen, and started to eat the egg, slower this time.

 

Byleth spread butter on his own toast, ignoring everyone's heavy stares. 

 

Annette cleared her throat. "Teach-"

 

"Agh!" Ingrid exclaimed, looking distraught. "I can't take it anymore! Teacher, you're not actually keeping that wyvern, are you?"

 

"I am," Byleth said, taking a bite. The toast today was pretty decent, and he decided to slather on peach jam for his next slice. "Please don't worry, Ingrid."

 

"You don't even know what kind of wyvern it is!" Ingrid insisted, volume rising. Ashe looked panicked as her voice got louder and louder.

 

Dimitri, waiting for his turn to cut in, huffed. "She's just worried about you, teach. We all are."

 

"We all know your love of animals," Mercedes added. "But you really should leave wyverns and dragons to the experts."

 

The students have all at least once caught Byleth hanging around animals, preferring their company.

 

Byleth frowned. "I am an expert."

 

"Oh yeah?" Felix called from across the room, dragging a complaining Sylvain in. "An expert, huh? How so?" He sounded incredulous, sitting down and forcing Sylvain into the seat next to him, whose complaints were getting louder.

 

Byleth hummed before thinking. "I've looked after the wyverns that belong to my father's garrison," he said. "I've been a wyvern rider."

 

Dedue's brow furrows. "That doesn't sound like enough experience to raise a baby, though."

 

"I've wrestled dozens of wyverns," Byleth continues, after another bite of toast. "To tame them, subdue them, or catch them, of course. And I have won many times."

 

The jaws of everyone at the table drop to the floor. Several of them, including Felix, who suddenly looks more intrigued, stare at his biceps. Byleth continues, wondering why they look so surprised, glancing down at his arms. He's spent his entire life as a mercenary, and his jobs don't only include fighting people. Fighting animals and beasts came with the territory.

 

Byleth thinks back on his time as a mercenary, trying to think of another time he'd tangled with dragons and wyverns. "There was a group of bandits that rode primarily wyverns," he added. "I rode behind one of my father's female guard on her pegasus, leapt off and landed on the leader's wyvern."

 

"Holy shit," said Sylvain. Byleth didn't even remember to scold him, too absorbed in the memory.

 

Byleth finds a tiny smirk crawling up on his face. "I took control of the wyvern." He added, remembering how the wyvern had almost spiraled out of control. "And won."

 

" _How?_ " Demanded Dimitri, who looked invested in his story. Everyone at the table leaned forward in their seats.

 

"The horns," Byleth replied, who realized this could be a teaching moment. "If you've got them by the horns, and they recognize they're weaker than you, they'll always submit if they're not entirely loyal to the other rider. And where the leader goes, the rest follow. It was incredible," said Byleth, who was practically raised on battlefields and knew the glory of victory like coming home. He finished his toast. "Father was so angry at me, but we got paid really well, so he couldn't stay mad for long."

 

He saw his students gazing at his mouth, which he realized was curving into a bigger smile. Byleth frowned immediately. "Anyway, I hope you don't doubt my prowess. And do as I say, not as I do. If I hear any of you or see any of you try this you're in big trouble." He stared at Felix, who looked away immediately. "I'm keeping Tabbris."

 

Silence fell over the table.

 

"She is cute," Ingrid admitted, breaking the silence and poking her wings with a hesitant finger. Tabbris startled, and then crooned. Immediately after the sound, nearly everyone tried to pet her. Dimitri even had picked up Tabbris and held her to his chest, already taking a shine to her. So,  nearly everyone was occupied with Tabbris.

 

Nearly.

 

"Teacher," Felix said, voice low. "Please fight me."

 

Byleth sighed. Not again.

 

For one of their first classes, Byleth really didn't know what to teach. So, en lieu of a textbook class, he asked to see everyone's current progress in their preferred weapon by dueling him. 

 

Many of them balked at the idea of fighting their teacher, but Felix immediately stepped forward and demanded they duel with swords.

 

Byleth had him flat on his back in under five minutes. 

 

Ever since that day, Felix had chased him around asking for a rematch, and usually, Byleth indulged him, but the more Felix lost the more intense he got, and Byleth was not used to that much attention, so he usually rejected them.

 

But Byleth was pretty tense from this morning's events...

 

"Do you really want to?" Byleth asked, resigned. Felix's eyes seemed to shine. 

 

"Of course." Suddenly, Felix stood up from his seat and grabbed Byleth by the wrist, and dragged him out to the training grounds.

 

"My strawberries," Byleth said, mournfully, allowing himself to be pulled along. The rest of the Lions, Tabbris still clutched to Dimitri's chest, followed. Duels were a common form of entertainment, after all.

 

"Bets on teach," Sylvain murmured. 

 

Felix looked over his shoulder, pinning Sylvain with an icy glare. "You're next."

 

Byleth sighed. Felix and Sylvain were always so competitive with each other, being childhood friends and sort-of rivals. Although Sylvain wasn't nearly as competitive as Felix, he hated losing, especially to Felix. So their battles were always interesting.

 

Felix finally released his arm, and crossed the field to the other side, brandishing his blade. Byleth sighed. "Please put on armor, Felix."

 

"Right back at you, teacher."

 

Byleth held back another sigh. Luckily some of the other students were kind enough to bring them armor.

 

"Here," Dimitri says, Tabbris still attached to him, passing him arm guards, leg guards, and chest guards. "Beat Felix up."

 

Ingrid was fitting Felix with his own armor across the field, and then returned to where they were sitting. Felix drew his blade again. 

 

Byleth unsheathed his own sword, breathing deeply. He twisted his head side to side to crack his neck.

 

"No attacks to the groin, face, or neck," Mercedes announced. "First one on the ground loses. Ready?"

 

"Yes." Byleth said, face darkening.

 

"Yes." Felix echoed, his own face contorting into something more serious.

 

"Begin!"

 

As always, Felix charged ahead first. He was quite skilled, but reckless and too proud of his power. Byleth side stepped and ducked so that his swing missed. 

 

"BEAT HIM UP, TEACHER!" Sylvain roared, clearly not wanting to duel Felix when he was so worked up. There was something else in the air, though. A cry? Whatever, Byleth couldn't afford to be distracted.

 

 _Down, and then he'll sidestep like he always does..._ Felix swung down, and Byleth jumped back slightly, anticipating where Felix would step next and swung there, lightly, so Felix wouldn't be harmed. The tip of the blade scratched against his chest guard, making a high-pitched sound. 

 

Wait, no.

 

Chest guards couldn't cry.

 

"Teacher!" Dimitri called, his only warning before Tabbris ran up to him on tiny legs, making tiny little whines and sobs. Byleth hurried to pick her up, and her whines turned a little softer.

 

Felix scowled a little, upset that his duel was interrupted, but sheathed his sword nonetheless, looking a tad concerned himself.

 

"What happened?" Byleth asked, cradling the baby wyvern in his arms, unaware of the little hushes and cooing sounds coming from his mouth. The students gazed at him in awe, before Annette snapped out of their trance.

 

"I think she thought that you were in danger," Annette replied, looking shaken. "When you guys started fighting she started making this sort of terrible trilling sound-"

 

"I guess that means no fighting," Sylvain sighed, not sounding put out at all. "Sorry, Felix! Tabbris has spoken." 

 

"You never know," called Felix. "It may be just teacher she worries about. Come here. Let's experiment."

 

Byleth could barely hear Sylvain's cries of protest over his own thoughts, though. A baby wyvern, docile in his presence, accepting food from him, worried about his safety.

 

Huh.

 

"I think she thinks that I'm her actual mother," Byleth says, voice incredulous. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u for reading! because rn the fics dont have a very big following because it's pre-release, i was so surprised at how many of you read this and enjoyed it. thank you so, so very much for your support.


	3. lofty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, having 1000000 fics to write but dropping them all because nintendo fed my starving ass with new content and trailers recently: :)
> 
> in all seriousness holy fuck you guys seriously thank you for your love and support

Today during class, the Blue Lions were taking their exams on strategy and tactical diagrams, one of the only times that they were all gathered and yet completely save for the flipping of papers and scratching of quills.

 

Byleth was sitting back in his chair, Tabbris fast asleep on his chest. Wyverns really did mature fast, for just last week Tabbris was about the size of two poached eggs, and now Tabbris was about three. He had mentioned this in his letter to his father, and a mere two days later Byleth had received a letter, written in shaky, hasty penmanship, that it was such an odd way to measure things, and that Byleth should never, ever change.

 

Whatever that meant. Sometimes, Byleth felt as if his father was the most mysterious of them both, despite his more jovial attitude. Usually his father's penmanship was absolutely perfect. Was measuring in poached eggs so hilarious to him?

 

Tabbris began to stir on his chest with tiny mewls and rapidly blinking eyes. Byleth had realized just recently that it truly was quite difficult to not coo over her presence.

 

God forbid he coo in front of the Blue Lions. He already feared that he had the most odd reputation in their eyes.

 

In fact, just yesterday Ingrid had invited him for tea and insisted they discuss about how cute the stray cats and kittens around the perimeter of the Academy were, and Byleth had no choice but to be swept away in her earnest questions of which he had no real answer to.

 

But if Byleth did have an answer, he would say that he liked the fawn-colored cat best, who didn't swipe at Tabbris but instead desperately tried to lather her under a pink tongue. Tabbris would pretend to hate the attention, but would rumble approvingly everytime she saw the cat.

 

Of course, for some strange reason, the entire class believed that they could hide in the bushes during the entirety of the conversation without being noticed. Byleth had no real reason to expose that he knew of their presence, nor did he really want to deal with the consequences of divulging this knowledge, so he kept quiet and tried not to sigh everytime he heard Annette giggle, or Dedue's unintentionally loud whispers. Every single time he so much as shifted in their direction, Mercedes would squeak and Felix would swear. Maybe next class he'd teach a little something about _stealth_.

 

Byleth could not stress this fact enough- the Blue Lions were an odd group of people.

 

Somebody stood from their chair, and in unison everyone glared at the person who had finished their test first. Ashe, chin up and spine straight, walked towards the front of the class where Byleth's desk was. Byleth still had no idea why the students were so enamored with the idea of being first.

 

Ashe set his papers face down on his desk and Byleth was hit with the full force of this boy's smile. "Teacher, I'm done!"

 

Byleth nods in response, not really knowing what to say besides the usual. "Head back to your seat and do silent reading." At the words, Ashe seemed to wilt, his smile twitching, and for the life of him Byleth could not understand why he felt bad. The boy turned and headed slowly back to his seat, head turned slightly down. His back looked incredibly small, and for some odd reason, there was the tiniest bit of tension in the air...?

 

As if to dispel the awkwardness in the air, Tabbris sneezed lightly, and a little puff of smoke and flame escaped her mouth. Byleth gaped. Wyverns usually could not produce flames until much later in life. Perhaps Tabbris was just a talented wyvern.

 

"I'm so proud of you," Byleth said aloud, and only realized his mistake when Ashe spun around and the heads of every single student whipped up in what looked like shock.

 

Byleth almost hurried to pardon himself for disrupting the silence in the class when Ashe smiled, even wider, again. "T-thank you, teacher! I hope that I live up to your expectations!"

 

He almost tells Ashe that it's really Tabbris that he's proud of at the moment, but terrible social skills aside, he is aware that such a statement could break this boy's heart. And really, the entire class was indeed working hard, so maybe the misunderstanding was a good thing. Ashe and the rest of the Blue Lions did deserve recognition for their hard work, but Byleth felt as if he was not at all the right person to dish it out. Maybe a bit of praise would raise their motivation, although Byleth knew he was terrible at expressing any sort of approval, much less a celebratory emotion.

 

A murmur rises from the students, too quiet to be recognizable. "Not fair..."

 

"No talking during the test," Byleth chided lightly, urging his voice to stay steady.

 

Ashe's chin tilts back up, looking proud. Byleth clears his throat, hoping the flush crawling up his neck isn't visible. How embarrassing, how embarrassing, to be overheard by his students! Byleth wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

 

The students return to writing their tests, the scratching of quills increasing in vigor. As soon as they hand them in, they seemed to look really... _Disappointed,_ that Byleth hadn't said anything. Byleth was far too preoccupied with being embarrassed out of his mind for fawning over Tabbris in front of the Blue Lions. Even Dimitri, who was usually the pinnacle of pleasantries, sent Ashe a scathing look.

 

But that can't be right.

 

He sees Ashe flush from all the way back in his desk, and watches everyone glare at him when he preens underneath all the attention.

 

Many of the Blue Lions look at Byleth, eyes narrowed and bottom lips chewed on. They look as if they're about to take to the battlefield. Was the test really that hard?

 

_What is happening right now...?_

 

.

 

Byleth doesn't think that he'll ever understand the Blue Lions' thought processes or actions. After Byleth's accidental slip of the tongue, his students became more and more confusing with each passing day.

 

"Teacher!" Ingrid called, waving him over from the gazebo. Byleth, who was taking a walk with Tabbris along the gardens of the school, walked over, a bit puzzled as to why he was called over.

 

Byleth frowns when a plate of scones is pushed into his chest, the scones almost tipping over the sides. "I made some scones for this new ginger tea I picked up!" Ingrid announced, smiling wide. "They've got berries inside. Try some, and tell me how they taste!"

 

A quick look to the scones did reveal that they did indeed have berries inside, strawberries and blueberries, which Byleth had always favored. The scones had a slight sprinkle of sugar on top, and were a light, golden brown. They were still steaming, too, and Byleth ached to try one.

 

He did pride himself on self-restraint, though. "You made these?" Byleth asked, a little surprised. 

 

"Yes," Ingrid replied, who looked as if she had puffed up with praise. "I noticed that you liked fruits- anyway! That's besides the point, please try one! And tell me what you think!"

 

Byleth hummed in response and was about to pick one up when someone called out to him from the distance.

 

"TEACHER! Come look, Felix and I learned that new parry you taught us! Faster than the rest of the class, even! Please hurry and take a look!" Dimitri called, from the training fields. Byleth turned to see Dimitri waving jovially at him and Felix making impatient come-hither gestures in his general direction. Even from afar, Byleth could see their heavy breathing and the skid marks on the ground. They were also working quite hard, and seemed pretty impatient.

 

He remembered when he was a little younger, when he'd eagerly search out his father for tips and ways to improve his fighting skills. Byleth soaked up every new knowledge from his father and their travels with increased zeal, desperate to prove himself.

 

But Byleth did love his sweets...

 

Byleth sighed. The scones and tea would have to wait, apparently. He was about to apologize to Ingrid to join the two boys on the field when Ingrid put a hand on his arm. 

 

He was shocked when he saw Ingrid shoot the two of them the dirtiest scowl he had ever seen. "BACK OFF!" Ingrid called, nearly spitting the words. "I asked for him first!"

 

Even from afar, Byleth could see Dimitri frown. "You can't hog teacher!" Dimitri yelled back. "It's not fair!"

 

"Get over here already! Just ignore Ingrid!" Felix added, making Ingrid's face flush with anger.

 

"Why, you little..."

 

These childhood friends were really something...

 

Byleth balked. What in the world was going on? First the peculiar attitudes from his class, now this? More odd behavior?! He wanted to run and hide, Tabbris held safely in his arms. Maybe he could coax her to try breathing fire again, or maybe even begin to teach her how to fly... Despite the long time spent with these students, Byleth still didn't know how to handle them. 

 

"Teacher!" Another voice called. Byleth turned to see Sylvain striding up to them, grinning confidently. "I thought we had plans? We gotta go right now!" 

 

Byleth swore he saw a ray of light shine through the clouds just then. Sylvain winked at him with a smirk, which immediately made his childhood friends incredibly and visibly suspicious.

 

"Oh?" Felix demanded, hands on his hips. "And what sort of business do you have with him?"

 

Byleth opened his mouth to come up with a lie, but Sylvain cut him off. "We're going to pick up girls in town!"

 

A pause.

 

"Yeah, right!"

 

"As if teacher would ever lower himself to-"

 

"Sylvain, go away, I called teacher first!"

 

Byleth couldn't hold back his sigh, and ducked away as fast as possible from the situation, when he was sure the childhood friends were too busy just yelling at each other to notice him. He made sure to pick up Tabbris on his way back to the Monastery.

 

He needed to write his father a letter about this. He would probably know what to do.

 

.

 

_My dearest son,_

_I do believe that your worries are unfounded. Your students are merely clamoring for your attention, because from what I've read in your letters, they seem to adore you. It may seem odd to you, Byleth, but you do have a likable personality. Why, my entire battalion misses you! You should probably write them letters as well lest they die of jealousy. You are my son after all! Just talk to them, and I'm sure everything will be resolved. I'm sure you'll like the results. Just think of your students like those little ducklings that imprinted on you- loud, persistent, but adorable. Or perhaps lion cubs, instead. They are a part of the Blue Lions, after all._

_Speaking of adorable, perhaps I should swing on back to the Academy to meet my granddaughter. From what you've said, Tabbris is extremely small and cute. The battalion and I can no longer eat poached eggs without losing our minds, by the way. We've gotten a new wyvern for a new recruit- she loves the stories, she named the wyvern Eggy. See? You've got a greater influence than you think._

_Please take care of your child and yourself, Byleth. I hope that you're not constantly running off into battle, because now you've got people other than us that would chase after you. Including your baby wyvern!_

_Your loving father,_

_Jeralt_

 

Byleth stares down at the letter with narrowed eyes, reading it for what seemed to be the tenth time. This was probably the least helpful letter he had ever received.

 

How in the world was he supposed to compliment these children without wanting to crawl into a hole? And how were compliments supposed to help them out of this weird behavior? He wanted to isolate himself for another twenty or so years. It was so much easier to praise Tabbris, who had virtually no idea what he was saying if not for the inflection in his voice.

 

He narrows his eyes at Annette and Mercedes, who have offered to help him clean up the classroom after class today. The two girls were being very helpful, stacking chairs and putting books in their proper spots. He was grateful to them, but Byleth had always struggled with expressing himself...

 

_Ducklings and lion cubs. Ducklings and lion cubs._

 

"Annette, Mercedes," Byleth called, trying not to wince when they looked back at him. "I think that's enough for today. And..."

 

"Yes, teacher! What did you want to tell us?" Annette asked, looking perkier than ever. Even Mercedes seemed to look as if she was anticipating something.

 

"Thank you..." Byleth said, softly. He ignored the heat crawling up his neck. "You both did very well."

 

_There! Was that enough?_

 

Mercedes blinked, before grinning just as wide as Annette seemed to be. "You're very welcome, teacher. We'll always be in your service." 

 

Annette was almost glowing. "Are you proud of us?"

 

Byleth paused. "...Yes, of course. Thank you for your assistance."

 

Annette let out a high pitched squeal, looking as if she was about to bounce of the walls. "YES! Wait 'til Sylvain and the rest hear, they're going to be so jealous..."

 

Byleth was still very confused, but as long as Annette and Mercedes were pleased, and back to their normal selves, it probably wasn't a big deal...

 

.

 

It apparently was a very big deal. 

 

When Byleth had taken Tabbris down to the mess hall to get some dinner, he saw the Blue Lions already there at their usual table.

 

Which wasn't a weird occurrence in of itself, but the table was completely silent save for Ashe, Mercedes and Annette, who were all sitting at one end of the table and laughing.

 

Byleth really did not want to sit with them and deal with whatever was going on. He ordered some sort of fish stew for himself and a small portion of meat for Tabbris and was about to retreat when someone called out to him.

 

"Teacher!" Mercedes called. "Come sit with us for dinner!"

 

Or not.

 

Byleth dragged himself over to their table, where the tension was so heavy it felt as if Byleth was marching through a thick fog.

 

He sat down at the far end of the table to allow for easy escape, and set Tabbris down on the table for her to eat her meal, which she took to with obvious appetite.

 

Usually about now some of the childhood friends would start bickering or yelling, or someone would bring up a book they've read or a new technique they've been working on, but it's been completely silent ever since Byleth sat down.

 

Maybe he should have taught another house. At least the fish stew tasted good, and Tabbris seemed to enjoy her own meal.

 

"Teacher," Dedue spoke, breaking the veil of silence. Byleth looked up at him, and Dedue seemed uncharacteristically shy when their gazes met. "I made something."

 

Dedue lifted a lavender colored quilt off from his lap, breaking his stare. The quilt looked extremely thick and warm, as well as beautifully crafted. There was a dark purple T stitched onto one end.

 

"It's for both you and Tabbris. I was reading up on wyverns lately," for some reason Dedue looked down at his lap when he said this, "and I learned that baby wyverns can't handle the cold well. And rainy season is coming up, so... It should be as big as your bed..."

 

He reaches across the table to pass the quilt to Byleth, who takes it from him in shock. "Here. Thank you for always looking after us."

 

Byleth stares down at the gift in awe. "I can't accept this," Byleth muttered. "It's too nice a gift."

 

"Please take it, teacher." Dedue insisted. "I made it just for you, and Tabbris."

 

Byleth swallowed. He doesn't think that he's ever received a gift this thoughtful. "Then I accept," Byleth replied, setting the quilt on his lap. "It is a wonderful gift, Dedue."

 

Compliments leave his lips surprisingly easy in the face of such a kind present. "You're very talented," Byleth added, remembering to pour on praise when needed. "Very generous, and so thoughtful."

 

Byleth felt the flush reach his face now, but refused to acknowledge it. No matter how much Byleth didn't want to say it, Dedue should be able to know. Dedue smiled softly, still looking down at his lap. 

 

The Blue Lions were indeed very young, despite all the responsibilities placed onto their shoulders. Maybe, if Byleth felt up to the challenge, he could indulge them more.

 

"What about me, teacher?" Sylvain butted in, looking as if he had been deeply wronged. "What nice things can you say about me?"

 

Ingrid pushed his face to the side with one hand. "You still haven't tried my scones, teacher! I've got some leftover that you can try!"

 

"Now, now," Dimitri scolded them. "Don't overwhelm our teacher now." A brief pause. "First, I must show him that I can properly parry attacks now, thanks to his teaching."

"Hey! Just because you're the prince doesn't mean you get to hog him!"

As the Blue Lions rise into another cacophony of indignant yells, Byleth wonders if he really knows anything about these students at all. He sighs. Maybe he should write another letter to his father for advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER WAS SUPPOSED TO BE BYLETH TRYING TO TEACH TABBRIS HOW TO FLY BUT THE BLUE LIONS PUNCHED ME IN THE FACE APPARENTLY 
> 
> geez thank you all. im always surprised that so many of you like this self indulgent mess. love you.


	4. ascension

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone! it's truly been awhile. holy fucking shit can you guys actually fucking believe that we're so close to the game? as i write this there are two fucking days (almost one) left until the release of the game. holy fuck y'all we made it
> 
> despite the fact that the game has not released yet, you all have constantly come through with the support. i am constantly humbled by your kudos, comments, and bookmarks. 
> 
> s/o especially to the lovely people in my server. it really would have been a longer wait for this game without y'all. thank you so very much

It's been a few weeks and yet Tabbris refuses to fly. 

 

Byleth is aware that learning to fly wouldn't happen overnight. That it would take calm, and patience, and gentle teaching. However, Byleth was never one for patience, and fumed silently whenever he remembered that wyverns typically learned how to fly within the first weeks of their lives. Tabbris was nearing a good two months, which meant that the first weeks of her life were coming to a rapid end. 

 

Felix suggests pushing her out of a tree to help coax her and Byleth instantly refuses. It reminds him distinctly of what someone else had said once, but Byleth cannot remember who.

 

Byleth stops stacking poached eggs when he sees all of the Blue Lions hide a chuckle at breakfast time. He now stacks strawberries, and other fruits, delicate and carefully. For some reason this amuses them more. He catches Mercedes cutting up fruits to make them more symmetrical, as if to make it easier to stack, and her passing them to him on a plate with a smile.

 

Byleth doesn't think that he will ever understand his students in his life.

 

At least Tabbris was understandable. A purr when she was happy or satisfied, a growl when not, and always cute. She had recently learned, in her gruff little growls, to somehow hum along to whatever Byleth was singing, or humming, which endeared him to no end.

 

Which is why Byleth had to talk to people. For her sake.

 

"Dimitri," he called, after class was over. "May I ask you something?"

 

Dimitri turned the full force of his noble smile on Byleth and practically skipped over to his desk, hair bouncing. Byleth valiantly tried not to think of a fluffy, golden puppy with its wagging tail high in the air. "Yes, professor? I'm always at your service!"

 

Byleth cleared his throat, for he had to collect himself each time in the face of all of the sparkles the boy seemed to emit. "Do you know anyone that handles wyverns? Rides them, or cares for them personally?"

 

"Ingrid rides pegasi!" Sylvain calls from his desk, where he's gathering up his books, Felix waiting impatiently behind him. "You could ask her!"

 

In response, Ingrid rolls her eyes. "You know pegasi riding and wyvern riding are very different from each other, right? The temperament, the saddles, and the training all vary." Sylvain deflates slightly after she corrects him, so Felix punches his shoulder as attempt to cheer him up or to reassure him.

 

"Ow!" Sylvain squeaked, sounding as if he was genuinely in pain. He turns wide, watery eyes on Felix and suddenly Byleth has the urge to turn his attention back to Dimitri, who looks deep in thought.

 

"Captain Jeralt is back from his mission, correct?" Dimitri states, hand to his chin. "Perhaps you could ask him or some of his battalion!"

 

Byleth instantly frowned. "No."

 

Byleth would ask his father for advice, but recently he's been teasing him a lot more than usual. Even his men were being more bold in their jabs, picking up Tabbris and throwing her into the air, much to Byleth's eternal horror. Byleth had almost drawn his sword in his haste to save Tabbris from their eager hands.

 

"She has yet to learn to fly!" Byleth had protested, raising his voice for the first time in what seemed like months. "Stop that this instant!"

 

The delighted squeals of Tabbris from where she was in his father's arms protested that fact. Her wide eyes were darting everywhere, excited at the new vantage points, dark wings fluttering in the air every time she was freed from his grasp.

 

Jeralt gave him a cheeky smile. "This might help her lessons, princess. Ah. I apologize, _Professor._ " His voice curled teasingly along the syllables of the last word.

 

" _Father_ ," Byleth hissed, feeling like a child for the first time in months. Around the students, despite their nobility and his commoner status, he was the authority in battle and experience. He's heard many a student whisper about his cool and collected demeanor in the halls, whatever that meant. All of that was null in void in front of his father, however. 

 

"I'm just trying to spend time with my first grandchild," his father pouted, which was a look Byleth hadn't seen on him ever since his father was forced to rejoin the ranks of the knights. "Would you deny your father the pleasure of doing so?"

 

"Without question."

 

Uproarious laughter rises from his father's troops. "You're gonna break your old man's heart," one of the mages say, smiling behind her hand. 

 

"Be good to your father, princess!"

 

Byleth narrows his eyes at their clear pleasure at goading him. He is aware that he is the baby of their group, and that most of them had likely watched him grow up, but he feels like pouting, like how Annette does when she's struggling to learn a new spell.

 

Instead of saying anything to further provoke them, he turned his attention to Tabbris. "Come here, Tabs," Byleth beckoned. "Join me over here."

 

Tabbris' little ears quivered, and she seemed to understand, for she mewled in response. She seemed as if she were to leap from Jeralt's hands, but his father had reached into his satchel and took out some berries, effectively distracting Tabbris from her original goal. "That's it," Jeralt had said. "Don't listen to your papa, I have snacks!"

 

Byleth had remembered finally drawing his sword in a fit of indignant anger.

 

Such a memory was surely visible on his face, for Dimitri began to look quite puzzled.

 

"No," Byleth repeated. "I won't ask him." He let out a breath of air, and coming from anyone else, it might have been a huff. 

 

By now, everyone's attention was on the two at the front of the classroom, looking amused.

 

Dimitri frowned, before his entire demeanor lit up. "Perhaps you could ask that man, Seteth. Does he not ride a wyvern?" 

 

Byleth could not hold back his groan, and for the students who were constantly enamored and were anticipating any sort of flicker within the expression of their teacher, it was a moment which held great importance.

 

" _Seteth,_ " Byleth near growled, which shocked the students even more. Byleth did not notice the way all of his students snapped to attention, transfixed at the show.

 

Dimitri had to visibly collect himself. Of course, Byleth did not notice. "Do you have any... problems, with him?"

 

Byleth picks up Tabbris from where she's lounging on his desk, as if to comfort himself. She immediately rumbles and leaps into his chest, armor be damned.

 

"Seteth," and Byleth cannot help the way he spits the name, "thinks his wyvern is cuter than Tabbris."

 

He is capable of seeing the way his students blink in confusion. "Pardon?" Dimitri asked, tilting his head to the side.

 

"His wyvern is not cuter than Tabbris," Byleth insists. "Tabbris has big violet eyes and has a tail bigger than her body, along with rare, dark scales. His lumbering, ugly, crusty, greasy wyvern is perhaps the most unfortunate shade of brown, or maybe bile, that my eyes have ever seen. The very existence of such a wyvern is proof that the goddess, if she is truly out there, is unreliable and cruel. And Seteth calls himself a believer."

 

Byleth takes a breath. 

 

"I didn't mean that," Byleth admits, feeling quite flustered when all of his students gape. Many of these students were nobles, after all, and probably gawked at such insults.

 

Life as a mercenary taught Byleth many things, such as how to swear in several languages, how to win bar fights, and how talks with the rich or the noble usually were games of word chess rather than an exchange of speech. His father, although aware of how little Byleth enjoyed speaking, had forced him to learn proper speech, what were essentially battles of their own right, so as to not be deceived or tricked out of pay by nobility. So when Seteth had invited him to tea recently, Byleth had prepared to wage his own war, but hadn't been prepared to be grievously insulted.

 

Whenever Byleth had shared tea with anyone, the Blue Lions were known to hide in the bushes to eavesdrop for some odd reason. But for this particular tea time, he had forced his students into taking a seminar with Manuela instead. Many of the students, Dimitri in particular, protested, but Byleth had leveled them with a look that barred no argument.

 

He knew what Seteth was going to ask him, anyway, in the only way people who thought themselves clever. In the most roundabout way possible.

 

"How are you liking the academy, professor? Although your previous, how you say, job, was entirely different, you seem to be adjusting just fine."

 

Byleth did a quick translation in his brain. _You are unworthy of being here,_ or perhaps, _get the hell out._ "It is the guidance of the other teachers and staff that is helping me adjust," Byleth responded. "They are responsible for my settling here. And you as well."

 

Seteth's eyes narrowed. 

 

"I'm sure that I cannot take any credit. Luckily for us, the skills that you have acquired in your previous job will be most useful on our next expedition."

 

Byleth quirks the corner of his lips. "You don't have to say that just because my father and I will be doing the dirty work for you."

 

After a few cookies, a few concealed jabs, and a few refills, Byleth had somehow begun to enjoy their conversations enough to banter back and forth with the man.

 

This went on for several minutes until Tabbris, bored of wandering the shrubs that bordered the gazebo, strolled right up to Byleth's pant leg and began to climb up it, before settling in Byleth's lap with a cheerful growl.

 

Byleth watched the line of Seteth's shoulders relax slightly. "Tabbris, was it?" Byleth nods in response. "She truly is adorable."

 

Now, this was a topic Byleth had no qualms about. "Isn't she?" He agreed quickly, running a hand down the scales of her back. "She's a lovely colour."

 

"Yes, quite," Seteth had said. "Not quite as beautiful as my own, however."

 

Byleth blinked. "I disagree," he stated, trying to be cordial. "Look at her scales, the shine of her eyes."

 

Seteth's back straightened. "Have you _seen_ my wyvern? I have to disagree. Besides, mine was well bred in captivity and was honed for battle. He's potentially more useful than Tabbris, already. He can even fly."

 

That is when the metaphorical shit show began. Flayn had to end up separating the two, whose verbal battles almost ended in screaming matches- as much as Byleth could scream, anyway. They had even drawn a crowd of students, who were equal parts amazed and confused at the two men fighting over which wyvern was superior. 

 

Sylvain nearly threw a hissy fit when he had realized he'd missed the event.

 

Byleth really didn't want to speak to Seteth afterwards.

 

"Is that what you were fighting about?" Ashe demands. "The students were gossiping for days as to what the two of you could possibly be heated over!"

 

"I was not heated," Byleth replies petulantly, then collected himself so he did not seem as if he were throwing a tantrum. "He was wrong and I was correcting him. That was all."

 

Ingrid giggles slightly, and Byelth narrows his eyes at her. She clears her throat. 

 

Byleth places Tabbris on the desk as if to present his case. "See," He pokes her face. "The proof is right here. Tabbris is cute."

 

"You're cute," someone murmurs, then pretends to cough as if to cover it up. Byleth wonders who it was, then shrugs it off.

 

Byleth stands from his desk. "Dimitri, one other thing." The teen snaps to attention. "May I trust you with a favour?"

 

Dimitri's eyes widen. "Yes, of course! You can always rely on me!"

 

He nods, satisfied. Byleth trusts Dimitri, noble and gracious, perhaps eager for praise, having a skewed view of himself. There are many things Byleth does not know about Dimitri, but Byleth knows that he can place his trust in him.

 

"Look after Tabbris while I am away. Be sure to feed her and make sure she drinks water-"

 

"Eh? Where are you going?!" Dimitri demands, looking surprised. He looks younger, with that sort of expression, less of a prince and more of a child.

 

This is exactly why Byleth has not told them. They'll all turn wide, seemingly hurt eyes on his person in an attempt to allow them to come.

 

Felix's eyes are already narrowing. "We'll come with you. Why didn't you inform us beforehand?"

 

Byleth shakes his head, and opens his mouth to respond, but his classroom door slams open to reveal his father donned in full armor. It's truly been a long time since his father has worn any sort of insignia or regalia, so he startles at the sight. "Byleth," he says, and he immediately straightens at the sound of his proper name, "we're leaving."

 

Sylvain gawks at the entrance, eyes roaming across the marks on his armor that signify his importance. Byleth understands slightly, it isn't everyday one saw one of the most famed knights burst into your classroom to steal your teacher away. 

 

Byleth takes one look at his father's face and instantly hardens his own, passing Tabbris to a stricken Dimitri. Tabbris lets out a tiny croon of confusion. "Yes, captain."

 

It's been awhile since Byleth's called his father 'captain.'

 

As if by magic, the students' postures straighten as well. Dimitri seems to morph from a confused cub to an alert lion with the shrug of his shoulders, and Byleth watches as Dimitri, with one change of his expression, becomes the _future king of a nation_ right in front of his eyes. "Captain Jeralt. Where are you headed?"

 

Byleth's father inclines his head slightly. "Your highness," and Byleth starts at the slight mockery his father adds to the title, "I am under the direct command of Archbishop Rhea. If you have any further inquiries, I would direct them to her. Byleth, to me." 

 

He goes, ignoring the clench of Dimitri's jaw. It is clear that he did not enjoy the dismissal. Byleth is suddenly hyper aware that he too, is on a battlefield right now, on one end, his father and captain, and on the other, a prince.

 

It is as if he becomes fully aware now. His students are nobility, destined to keep the peace within the land, with crests bestowed onto them by the goddess. They were the sort of people that would grow into their position and have their stories written into texts for the future. One of them is the literal prince of Faerghus, and as much as Byleth thinks that he has authority over them all, it would take one wrong more before his poor commoner head was lopped off of his body.

 

Annette may stumble over door sills, but she was still one of the most powerful mages in the land, with an impressive lineage and crest to boot. Sylvain may joke and flirt until he loses breath, but he was still heir to a house that likely had more power than any of his father's battalions. Dimitri might soak up attention and praise like a dry sponge, and he might seem soft to the untrained eye, but he was the future king. The future king, and fellow nobles and crest bearers, sitting all together in one classroom, the very picture of uncanny.

 

His father looks at him, inclining his head. "Make sure your little pupils do not follow us out. Wouldn't want anything to happen to the little princeling." With that, Jeralt leaves the room, a man possessed by a mission. 

 

Narrowed eyes follow him on his way out.

 

"Do not follow," Byleth says after a moment, voice smaller than usual. "It'll be dangerous. The church had commissioned us themselves for this, you need not worry. I will return." 

 

That was a promise.

 

It was odd. The only person Byleth was used to promising things like that to just walked out the door, and yet here Byleth was, creating another vow.

 

"We can help you," Ashe stood from his chair. "Let us come with you!"

 

"You shouldn't go by yourself!" Annette protests, gathering up her books. "We'll go get our weapons and-"

 

They all stop with Byleth's raised hand and a shake of his head.

 

"Archbishop Rhea did not divulge the details of this mission to us, only that it was crucial that we go." Really, there was only one reason anyone would hire mercenaries of their caliber. There was someone she wanted eliminated. "You are not to risk your lives over a mission that is not even yours."

 

Byleth is about to walk out the door with his father when he is stopped in his tracks by Dimitri's voice once more.

 

"Be careful," Dimitri says, voice almost pleading. As quickly as he had donned his royal persona, he had shed it like an old skin. "Return quickly."

 

A chorus of similar farewells follow him out the door, and oddly enough, Byleth wants to return to them immediately. Usually the thrill of battle would urge him to his father's side, but for some reason, today was different. He wanted to reclaim Tabbris in his arms, and bury under that lovely blanket that Dedue had gifted him so that he could perhaps ignore his responsibilities.

 

What an odd thought.

 

Nothing that the battlefield couldn't fix.

 

.

 

It was going terribly, and that was an understatement. Byleth was used to ambushes, but since the church had told them virtually nothing about their enemies, they were taken by surprise by the mages that lined the canyon above them, all wearing dark masks that concealed their gender or race. Smart.

 

"Scatter!" Jeralt cried, willing his horse to obey. The gathered troops on the ground took cover under the uneven jagged edges of the canyon which poked out, but the troops in the air were forced up.

 

The wyverns and their riders fell first. Byleth tried not to think about Tabbris as he dodged one hurtling violently to the ground, rolling to the side. It fell to the ground with a devastating cry and a sharp crunching sound that seemed to bounce around Byleth's head. Byleth cursed Rhea, Seteth, their gracious goddess.

 

Perhaps it was blasphemy that Byleth was thinking such terrible things about Rhea for sending them out on such a quest that they could not refuse, but then again he was already damned.

 

A pegasus flew around his head and Byleth lifted a hand. "To me!" He yelled, and when the pegasus was low enough he took a running start to leap on it, careful not to agitate it. The pegasus immediately took to the skies, swiftly dodging the magic trying to shoot it down. When they were high enough, the rider turned on him with a shocked look.

 

"Byleth, you're not thinking of taking the mages on your-"

 

Byleth made a grunting sound in response, and that was the only warning the rider received before Byleth leapt from the pegasus and onto the top of the canyon, his sword flaring out like a whip and knocking three of the mages into the gap of the canyon below. He didn't even register their screams before he charged.

 

The mages, who were too shocked at the sight of him leaping off of the creature from high above to retaliate immediately, seemed as if they wanted to flee. That gave Byleth enough time to flick his wrist, and with a loud crack, his sword whipped out and took out another group of mages, who were either felled by the sharp edge of the blade or were unfortunate enough to withstand so much of the sword's force that they too, were sent to the gap below.

 

Byleth nearly sighed, a breath of heavy air. This was what he knew best. His body and mind fell into battle instantly. How many mages were there? How many of them wielded wind magic that would prove dangerous to their flying units? How many could he fell until reinforcements came?

 

Sensing an opening, the pegasi and the remainder of the wyvern riders allowed the troops on foot to climb aboard so that they too could reach the top of the canyon. 

 

One of the mages noticed this and tried to gather a large amount of wind energy in their palm to take them out, but Byleth was faster. With two steps and short a jab, he slid his sword through the mage's chest. This seemed to bring back the other enemies to their senses, for they too began to charge, magic at the ready.

 

Byleth refused to let any of their magic through, and he was as fast as a whip. His sword rushed out and attacked any of the mages closer to the edge.

 

One of them, who likely believed that Byleth was only capable with his whip-like blade, charged at him with a dagger. He quickly dodged and kicked the mage in the chest before allowing the sword to retract, allowing its sharp edges to dig into that mage's side. 

 

He wasn't capable of dodging everything, though. A good strike of lightning clipped him on the leg, and he winced before stabbing the mage that attacked him. There were too many mages, and too many of their troops were flying units due to the fact that they only knew that they were heading to a canyon. The pegasi were fine, but they also had a good number of wyverns. If his father didn't do it, Byleth would return to the academy and demand, sword drawn, as to what the hell Rhea was really sending them out for.

 

At least his father and the rest of his troops had finally joined the battle up above. For one distracted moment, he watches his father snarl as he dives his lance through the robes of another mage, gore splattering across his face.

 

Another guest of magic sweeps him off of his feet and he skids across the floor, near the edge of the canyon. All of his efforts to push the mages back from the chasm were now being put to waste, and Byleth braced himself for the closest mage unit to send him over the edge with a single strike. Although he can't see past the mask, Byleth can image the smirk. He'd find a way to live. He always does.

 

It doesn't come. Instead, Byleth's gaze is drawn by the silver arrow that pierced the mage's abdomen. When they cough, blood dribbles down their lips and chin, staining the dirt. 

 

"Professor!" 

 

Byleth glances up to see Ingrid and Ashe sharing a pegasus, Ashe's bow already drawn. For a moment he believes that he's hallucinating, until he's suddenly flooded with a rush of anger that he's never felt for his students before.

 

"I told you not to follow!" Byleth snapped, picking himself up off the ground and rejoining the battle. 

 

"We just wanted to-" Ingrid began, but then swooped down to attack one of the enemies nearing Byleth, "help you! We can help! This is what we've been training for!"

 

Byleth feels his face twist into a grimace. "This isn't a game!" He scolds, not looking at them in favor of dodging a burst of fire. One of Ashe's arrows pierce the stomach of the mage that attacked him. "Tell me you're the only ones here!"

 

No one answers right away, so Byleth wonders if they're shocked at him raising his voice, but he finds his own questions answered when someone sidles up behind him.

 

"I have your back, teacher," Dimitri states, using his lance to knock one of the staves out of the enemy's hands before slashing his chest. Never far behind, Dedue does the same with his own weapons, knocking the enemy out with his gauntlets. From the distance, Byleth notices Felix charging straight into battle, headstrong, with Sylvain right behind him.

 

A blast of magic comes near, so Byleth flinches away, but it knocks two of the mages head on. When it clears, Byleth sees Annette and Mercedes behind it. 

 

For a moment, Byleth feels relieved at the backup and and feel himself falling into the rhythm of battle with his students, but his chest swells with anger. "Why do none of you ever listen to me," Byleth snaps, dodging another blast before running another one through with his sword. 

 

He meets Dimitri's eyes, expecting him to look chastised, but instead sees rigid determination. "I cannot stand idly by when someone important to me- important to us, runs off into battle without a plan when we could provide aid!" Again, there is something in the square of his shoulders that speaks of confidence, of power.

 

Byleth yanks Dimitri lower to the ground with a sharp tug so as to dodge an attack. "Absolutely incorrigible," Byleth replies, ignoring how light he feels. "When we get back, you're all doing drills."

 

For some reason, Dimitri laughs. "Yes, professor!"

 

That one moment is enough for one of the enemies to grow bold. One whips an elwind straight at Dimitri with the flick of their wrist, and Byleth feels himself lunge to cover his student. 

 

"Professor, what are you-!"

 

The elwind hits him straight in the skull, and Byleth swears that he can feel his brain rattle at the impact. One horrified Dimitri turns to two, and Byleth hits the ground. He can hear voices from far away, echoes that seems to enter one ear and instantly leave the other. Something about a medic, someone- multiple someones- screaming.

 

He has to get up. He's been hit by worse, why is one elwind taking him down now? His sword, knocked just out of his reach, is right there. Byleth's fingers twitch to reach it, but he's quickly losing all control over himself. Despite the blow to his temples, his chest feels tight. It's hard to breath- if he could just grasp his sword and stand-

 

He watches Dimitri turn to the mage from a perspective that haloes his golden hair and somehow makes him look more demonic than angelic. "You'll pay for that," Byleth hears someone say, and it's the last thing he hears for awhile.

 

.

 

Byleth jolts awake in a bed unfamiliar to him, eyes wild and darting around the area.

 

Where is he? It doesn't seem to resemble the battlefield. His heart races at the idea of being somewhere uncanny, unfamiliar, when he recognizes the walls of the academy's medical room, familiar to the place due to the many times he's taken Felix here.

 

He notices a violet blanket draped over his body, the one Byleth recognized as the one gifted to him by Dedue. His chest is bare, but he can at least feel the fabric of his pants, so Byleth relaxes slightly.

 

Tabbris is lying on his belly, asleep, breathing softly. It must not have been that long since the battle, for Tabbris does not look any bigger. Still, she takes up ample space on his chest, looking comfy resting in her usual spot. Byleth breathes a sigh of relief when he's able to sit up and raise a hand to pet Tabbris, who doesn't wake at the touch.

 

"You're awake."

 

Byleth knows that voice, so he doesn't flinch. He follows the sound to see Jeralt sitting on a chair next to his bed, as well as another girl on a chair next to him. He recognizes her as Marianne from the Golden Deer, likely here as a healer. 

 

He doesn't have time to think about her presence before his father takes two strides and brings him into his embrace, arms carefully light as to not hurt him. Byleth returns the hug immediately, noting the tremble of his father's arms. "Byleth," his father says, and Byleth notes the tremble of his voice as well. "Byleth, don't scare me like that ever again."

 

Feeling like a child again, Byleth melts into his father's arms. "My apologies," he replies, soft against his father's chest. "I didn't mean to."

 

"If you didn't mean to then you shouldn't have done it," his father scolds halfheartedly, freeing Byleth from his grasp. It looks almost as if he's about to cry, and Byleth can't stand the sight of it, so he turns his gaze on Tabbris. "Princess, you scared everyone. An elwind? Really? At least you saved the princeling." 

 

Jeralt sounded as if he was joking, so Byleth looked back up at his father. "I told them not to follow," Byleth murmured. "I promise that I did."

 

"They're a headstrong, hard headed sort aren't they?" Byleth doesn't have to ask who he's talking about. "We had to force your little pupils out of the room to stop their blubbering over your body."

 

He hums in response. "I don't know why it hurt so much," Byleth replied, knowing full well why. 

 

His father snorted. "You took the attack right to your noggin, and then hit your head again on the way down. We don't carry staves for head trauma. The worst of it's over, but you're on bed rest for at least a day."

 

Byleth felt a little chided. "Then what happened?"

 

"That Seteth guy swooped in and picked you up. He was already coming with reinforcements, so he just brought you to be healed. Left a message for you when you woke."

 

 _Seteth._ "Oh?"

 

Jeralt shrugged. "All he said was 'see?'"

 

If Jeralt suddenly noticed the murderous look on Byleth's face, he didn't mention it.

 

"Your little pupils went a little crazy. Hell kid, I sorta did too. I watched you get blasted and I swore my chest exploded- I was gonna tear that guy a new one." Jeralt folded his arms across his chest. "One of them beat me to it. The little princeling."

 

Byleth nearly stands from his bed. "Are they alright? Did Dimitri get hit with any whiplash?" 

 

"Woah, kiddo," his father says, pushing him back slightly onto his pillow. "They're fine. You should see the other guy. Man, there were-"

 

"Excuse me," Marianne cut him off. Byleth had almost forgotten that she was there. "I should check on the professor."

 

Jeralt cleared his throat. "Right." He hugged Byleth again, briefly, then stepped back. "I'll go fetch some food."

 

When Jeralt left, Marianne quietly approached. Without saying a single word, she waved her staff over his head and Byleth felt instantly refreshed, less like he was half naked in a hospital bed with a headache and more like he'd just had a full night of sleep.

 

"Thank you."

 

Marianne nods at him, and only then does Byleth notice the dark circles under her eyes. He hopes that they aren't on his behalf.

 

She reaches a cold hand out to press against his forehead. "No fever."

 

Byleth nods. He doesn't feel like talking, and it seems as if she too, struggles with words. They sit in companionable silence until the door bursts open once more.

 

Byleth expects his father, or perhaps one of the Blue Lions. Maybe even Seteth to make a jab about Tabbris once more. What he isn't expecting, however, is for Claude to appear in the doorway. Byleth blinks at the sight.

 

Claude walks over, smile in place. "Marianne, I'm on professor duty now! You can leave now."

 

For some reason Byleth feels suddenly sick to his stomach. He really doesn't want to speak, so he turns to give Marianne a look that she doesn't return. She seems totally oblivious to his plea for help as she leaves. "Call me if anything goes wrong," she whispers, then closes the door behind her.

 

"Feeling better, prof? Everyone was worried." From someone he could share a companionable silence with to Claude von Riegen. 

 

"I'm fine," Byleth replied, then immediately fell back onto his pillow to feign sleep. It definitely wouldn't fool anyone with half a brain, but Claude only chuckles.

 

"You must be wondering why I'm here. You see, the Blue Lions offered to look after you, but they all looked incredibly unhinged and manic after battle! So much so, that Manuela kicked them all out. They're all pacing the halls as we speak. Geez, and it's only been a single night."

 

Byleth wants to bury his head into the pillow to cover his ears. 

 

Claude takes a seat in the chair next to Byleth's bed, making himself comfortable. "They must really like you if they're following you blindly into battle. If it were me, I would come up with a plan first before following, rather than being led by my emotions."

 

That makes Byleth peek up at him. "You would not follow anyone into battle out of anything but your own will, and even then, you'd find a way to turn the situation to your advantage."

 

Byleth turns back into his pillow to ignore Claude's chuckles. "You really are my favourite teacher, professor. Everyone says you're so cool in the halls, did you know that? You really should hold more seminars for us Golden Deer. No one listens as much as they should unless you're speaking."

 

Slightly annoyed, Byleth turns his head towards Claude once more. "Is there a real reason that you're here?"

 

"Would it be forward to say that I want you?" Claude asked, freezing him in place with a single look.

 

Byleth blinks.

 

"I'm already teaching the Blue Lions," Byleth replies, feeling a little lost. He's had no grasp on the conversation from the beginning, but now it truly is out of his comprehension. What was going on?

 

"Just come teach us instead," Claude says simply, as if such a decision was beyond him and probably didn't have massive repercussions in the future.

 

Byleth may be totally unawares of anything like emotion or politics, but he was at least aware that choosing a house to teach was much more than choosing a class when the students of which it was composed of were either royalty, nobles, or important figureheads. Byleth could be seen as a power piece in the political game ot chess- a choice from a commoner, from the son of one of the most famed knights across the land, with a mysterious crest and bloodline. 

 

"People talk, you know?" Claude continues, probably noticing how flabbergasted Byleth was at the words but continuing to speak. "You have tea time with many a student from other houses, which, by the way, make the Blue Lions incredibly jealous. Were you aware?"

 

Byleth was not aware and not even sure that Claude was being truthful with him.

 

"You had tea with that Ferdinand guy from the Black Eagles a few weeks back and he is still talking about it. Apparently, you've somehow charmed him. Edel's been seething for days." 

 

The true mystery was why everyone cared so much about who Byleth had tea with.

 

"Even Hilda has been going on and on about how strong you are after you led us all in that mock battle, and she's never done that for anything!" Claude looks slightly pleased at the fact. "I think I've got a good grasp on your character by now. Despite your lack of expression, you're a pretty good guy, huh teach?"

 

To be honest, no one's ever told Byleth that they've had a 'good grasp on his character.' Not only that, but...

 

"I've already chosen," Byleth stated. "My place is with the Blue Lions."

 

For some reason, Claude smiles at him even wider when he says it. "I know," Claude replies, looking pleased. "You're quite the loyal one, huh professor? I just wanted you to know of your options. And to plant the idea in your head."

 

He stands from his chair and walks towards the door. Before he leaves, Claude turns to him again with a wink. "I would just like to let you know. You, me? Golden Deer? We could be great together. Think about it."

 

As soon as he leaves, eight more students burst into the room, shooting Claude a glare before running over.

 

"Teacher!" Annette cried, tears in her eyes. "We were so worried!"

 

Felix narrows his eyes at her. "Speak for yourself," he spat. "I just thought it might be prudent for you to know that you should never do this ever again."

 

Dedue steps forward and clears his throat. "Felix and the rest of us were just pacing the halls waiting for you to wake. Ignore him, professor." 

 

Everyone ignores Felix's sputters of indignation and denial.

 

Without prompting, Mercedes stomps right up to him and feels his forehead the way Marianne did moments prior. "No fever. Are you hurting anywhere else?"

 

 _Byleth had a headache, but it had just left the room._ "I am alright. No need to worry." He frowns slightly, noticing something was off. "Dimitri, why are you all the way back there?"

 

The students part to reveal a devastated looking Dimitri. He lifts his head slightly when he realizes that all eyes are on him. 

 

To Byleth's horror, his eyes begin to fill with tears. "Professor," Dimitri begins, his voice cracking slightly with emotion, "it was my fault you were hurt. I am so, so-"

 

Byleth leans back on his bed, a little relieved. "Was that all? No need to worry or apologize."

 

"Professor-"

 

"You said to me on the battlefield that you could not stand by while someone you cared for ran off into battle." Byleth wonders why he's been saying more words recently. Perhaps it is the influence of the students. "Your arrival was pivotal in battle, and likely saved more lives than cost us."

 

"Dimitri. You have done well." Byleth allows himself a tiny grin. "There is no need for tears."

 

Byleth takes a deep breath to force the words to come out less shakily. "How chivalrous. I- I am proud. Of all of you."

 

A pause. 

 

Sylvain takes in a shaky breath of air. "Aw, professor, you don't need to say that, you're gonna make all of us cry!"

 

Byleth frowns. Was that not what they wanted? "Why would I lie to you?"

 

He is suddenly swept into an embrace by Ashe, quickly joined by Annette and Mercedes. The rest of them hesitate, before joining the hug as well. Even Felix is pulled into the hug, looking reluctant, but Byleth spots a bit of red creeping silently up his neck. 

 

Tabbris squeaks when she is slightly squished from the hug, and everyone pulls back. 

 

"Ah, forgive us, Tabbi," Dimitri says, then pauses to look at Byleth. "Professor, why are you shirtless?"

 

Everyone's eyes drift to Byleth's chest, and Byleth had grown up surrounded by mercenaries, so he's not exactly shy nor is he bashful. Byleth is confident in his strength and prowess, and it shows in his muscles. He can see their eyes tracing the scars across his chest, long lines of his history carved into his skin by many a weapon. One particular one traces a dull line from his pecs to his abdomen, disappearing under his pants and the blanket. One by one, his students follow that line with their eyes.

 

"To check if I have any injuries, I presume. Is that why you're all staring?"

 

The Blue Lions flush red with what seems to be embarrassment.

 

Byleth really will never understand them, will he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading! to the person that wanted byleth's shirt off- i gotchu lmao. 
> 
> this was my blue lions propaganda, but it's far from over! thank you so much for reading even with the chance that canon will gut this fic like a fish. but fuck canon honestly lol it's the reason i kept the details of that fight so vague because who's the bad guy? i dont fucking know ive been running from spoilers these past weeks lol
> 
> next time i update, the game will be most likely out. which is really an incredible thought. thank you so very much. see you later ♡

**Author's Note:**

> the name tabbris also comes from our server, where tabs is the future daughter of byleth in our baby au. it's a wild ride. also, when dimitri comments on the wyvern's name and how he'd like it to be perseus, that's another reference to the baby au where percy is his adopted son. i am the proud godmother of several children now i guess lmao
> 
> thank you so much for reading!


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